General Information
Hello all, welcome to the Keweenaw! We hope you will trek to Houghton and join us for a scenic run through the woods. This race is fully supported with two distances, 25k and 50k.
Location
This race is held at the Michigan Technological University Tech Trails in Houghton, MI. These trails are found off the south side of Sharon Avenue across from Sherman Field. A link to the location can be found here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HGNk4A7WGEn2uGZv5
Bib Pick-up
All bibs will be picked up the morning of the race. 50k pick-up will be between 07:00 and 07:50. 25k pick-up will be between 08:00 and 08:45
Aid Stations
There will be an aid station at the main trailhead and one at Nara. Racers will encounter aid stations at miles 4.2(6.8km), 11.8(19km), 15.6(25.1km), 19.8(31.9km), and 27.4(44.1km). Aid stations will have water, drink mix, and some normal ultra foods. Feel free to bring your own hydration/snacks as well. All athletes must CHECK IN at every aid station encounter. To check in you must tell the aid station volunteer your bib number. You are free to get food/hydration/gear from your car or bag at the trailhead tent/community room once checked in to the trailhead aid station.
Start Times
The 50km race will start at 8am. The 25km race will start at 9am.
Drop Bags
Participants can put their belongings in the community room (wax building), outside under a tent, or in their cars. 50k / 25k Racers can stop back to any of these locations during the race to access their gear once they check in at the trailhead aid station.
Course Marking
The route will be marked with neon marking flags on your right-hand side. If you begin to see flags on your left, you are going the WRONG WAY. At trail intersections, the closed trails will be marked with caution tape.
Dropping
If any racer has decided they cannot finish the race and must drop for any reason they are responsible for getting this information to one of the volunteers. The volunteer will relay that information to the correct contact so that the runner can get correct medical attention and there is no confusion about the whereabouts of that runner.
Pacers
No pacers allowed.
Head Lamps
Due to the 50k race starting in the dark, you MUST have a headlamp for the first 1.5 hours. I repeat ALL 50k runners NEED a headlamp.
Road Crossing
Runners will have to cross the Pilgrim Rd multiple times. There will be someone there to assist you with the crossing. They will NOT STOP road traffic.
Timing
Races will be timed through Ultra Sign Up, there will be no live tracking. There will be a clock running from the start of the 50k at the trailhead.
Awards
Awards will be provided to the top athlete for each distance. The prizes will be given out randomly to race participants at 1 pm. If a 25k or 50k participant who is still racing wins we will save their award to be given to them after their finish. All results will be published on USU.
Time Limits
The 50k will have an 8-hour cut-off time and the 25k will have a 7-hour cut-off time. This is strictly enforced due to safety reasons and the remote nature of the race course. Do not register if you cannot finish within the respective time limits.
Parking
All athletes and volunteers can park at the main trailhead parking lot. Overflow parking will be in the field between Sharon Ave and the main trailhead parking lot. Nara parking lot is also available for volunteers and spectators.
Camping
The city of Houghton and Hancock have RV camping near the Portage Canal; reservations can be found at the links below.
https://www.cityofhoughton.com/rv-park/
https://www.cityofhancock.com/recreation-beach-campground.php
Merchandise
We will be selling Keweenaw Ultra Marathon Club t-shirts all day during the race. The price will be $20. These shirts help pay for this event. They will be first come first serve.
Contacts
Feel free to contact Lucy Campbell if you have any questions at all. You can reach me at my personal email lcampbel@mtu.edu or the club email at ultramarathon@mtu.edu.
Event's current local time: 5:33 PM ET
